beackley



JNO. W. BEACKLEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRAVELING--TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent 1\T o. 3,099, dated May 26, 1843.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J oranT W. BEAGKLEY,

. of the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Apparatus Consisting of a Combined Traveling-Trunk and l/Vardrobe; and I do hereby declare that the followingy is a full and exact description thereof.

I make a traveling-trunk of the ordinary form, and of any desired size, which trunk may be covered with leather, or finished in any other way that may be preferred. Within this trunk I place a box which is open at top,- and which is so much smaller in length andV width than the interior of the trunk as to leave a space of an inch and a half, more or less, between the two'. The height of this interior box may be nearly equal to that of the trunk, to the bottom of which it is to be made fast by screws, or otherwise. The space between the trunk and the box is to be occupied by sliding cases, usually three in number, which pass one within the other; the inner most of these sliding cases has a lid, furnished with hinges and a lock; the others are without either bottom or top, consisting of a back and two ends, which are fastened permanently together; and the front of each is furnished with a door, or doors, hinged on the sides in the manner of wardrobe doors.

Vhen clothes are to be packed in this trunk, the lid is opened as usual, Vand the sliding cases are then contained in the space betwen the trunk and the inner box. The lid, or top, of the innermost of the sliding cases is then to be opened and a tray, or lift-out, similar to those in ordinary use may then be removed. Clothes may then be packed in the inner box, which constitutes the interior of the traveling-trunk. The lift-out may then be put in place, and the lid of the interior sliding case closed. If there are compartments for papers, or other articles, in the lid of the trunk, these, also, may be lilled, and the lid closed and locked as usual. The only difference between it and other traveling-trunks under these circumstances, is that its sides and ends are thicker than ordinary.

When the apparatus 1s to be used as a wardrobe, the lid being opened and the liftout removed, the sliding'cases are to be raised, by taking hold of the innermost, and drawing it up; and when raised to the proper height it is stopped by suitable checks, while spring pieces at its ends will i catch against the upper edge of the next sliding case. This lis then to be raised in like manner, and will be, in its turn, checked by, and held upon, theA outer 4sliding case.

The latter may then be raised, and'will be caught, and held in place, by the upper edge of the trunk. When the ysliding cases are thus raised, the doors infront of them may be opened by unlocking the lowermost,

which is furnished with a, lock on its undery sides. `As the respectivedoors lap over each other, the lock on the lowermost secures the whole.

Supposing the sliding cases each to furnish an elevation of eighteen inches, three such will give four feet six inches, which is a sutlicient height for the hanging of a coat. There `are clothes pins on the interior sliding case near its upper end, which should be made to hinge, so that they may be turned up out of the way when the trunk is to be packed; and when turned down, they serve for the lift-out to rest upon.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure V1, is a representation of the trunk, with the sliding cases raised so as to convert them into a wardrobe. Fig. 2, is a vertical section of the apparatus, from end to end, the sliding cases, also, being raised.

A, is the trunk, B, C, and D, the sliding cases. E, is the interior box, secured to the trunk at bottom, and leaving a space F, F, between it and the trunk sufficient to receive the sliding cases. The lower sliding case, B,

has a rail, Gr, at its lower'front edge, andV arail would form an obstruction when theA doors are opened.

I, J, and K, are the wardrobe doors; the lowermost, I, having a lock which locks into the rail G; and as the doors, I, lap, at their upper ends, on the doors J, and theseon the doors K, one lock serves to secure the whole; and when these are opened, there is free passage into the wardrobe. L, is the lift-out, which, when the apparatus is used as a trunk only, occupies the same situation in which it is represented in the drawing but falls into the case D, and is covered by the door, or lid, M, of that case.; the lock of which serves to secure the top of the wardrobe.

strips, consisting of the lower edges of the, Y

a, a, a, are spring pieces, or

sliding boxes, which strips are hinged to the parts .7), Z), above them, and have springs c, c, bearing against them, which cause the strips a, a, to spring out, and keep the sliding cases in their elevated position, by their bearing upon .the sections next below them. lVhen these strips are forced in, the respective sections will descend, and the apparat-us assume the form of an ordinary trunk. To insure the regular motion of the sliding cases, they may be furnished with grooved, metallic, or other, slide strips, as shown at (l, CZ. e, e, are the clothes pins, attached to the upper sliding case. Y

The advantages presented by an apparatus of this description Will be apparent to every traveler, as, Wherever he stays, he Vis furished with a secure Wardrobe in which he can hang changes of clothes, Without being compelled to'pack them in his trunk, or to leave them exposed, as heretofore; and as the sliding cases may be made of light materials, the additional Weight Will not be great.

Having thus, fully described the nature of my combined traveling-trunk and Wardrobe, what I' claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The manner in which I have constructed and arranged the several parts of the Wardrobe, by forming the same in sliding sections, Which pass one Within the; other; the vvhole of them being received Within a space vformed for their reception between the interior boX and t-he ordinary trunk; the said apparatus being constructed and operating substantially in the manner herein set forth. JOHN W. BEACKLEY. Witnesses: v Y

Jvo.V JORDAN, Trios. P RAKESTRAW; 

